Agitator for hardening baths



June 21, 1932. ROCKWELL 1,864,149

AGITATOR FOR HARDENING BATHS Filed Aug. 24. 1929 llllll agitate the liquid at Patented June 21, 1932 UNITED STATES -PA enr ori ice STANLEY P. ROCKWELL, OF WEST HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR T'O 'IT-IE STANLEY P. ROCKWELL COMPANY, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION OF CONNECTICUT AGITATOR- FOR HARnENInG Barns Application filed August 24,1929 Serial No 388,084.

My invention relates to the class of devices employed for agitating the liquid in which metal is treated in hardening operations, and

an object of my invention, among others, is to provide an apparatus by means of which the liquid used in hardening operations shall be maintained in a prime condition without requiring manual operation to stir or agitate it.

One form of apparatus embodying my invention and in the construction and use of which the objects herein set out, as well as others, may be attained is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which- Figure l is a view in section through the tank of a hardening bath with my improved agitator attached thereto.

Figure 2 is a view in section on a plane denoted by the dotted line 22 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a view in section on a plane denoted by the dotted line 33 of Figure 1.

In order to maintain the ingredients of a hardening bath properly mixed it has heretofore been a common practice to manually frequent intervals and this results not only in the labor involved, but also uncertain results from the treatment of metal in a bath in which the ingredients are not properly mixed at all times. By the use of my invention illustrated and described herein I have provided means whereby the liquid will be in a constant state of agitation while the bath is being used, and the device is so equipped that the agitation may take place from difi'erent points within the bath.

My improved apparatus is illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which the numeral 5 indicates a tank that may be of any desired form, preferably round, this tank being open at the top for the ready insertion of articles to be treated in the bath 6 within the tank, which bath may be constituted of such ingredients as will be proper for the results to be attained in any given case. A base or support '7 is mounted upon the edge of the tank, a slot being formed in the base thereby providing a lip 8 through which a set screw may extend for securing the base in place, the upper edge of the tank projecting into the slot, as shown in Figure l of the drawing.

A tube 9 extends throughan opening in the base from a point above the base to suchdis- V tance therebelow as will locate the lower end of the tube in the bath 6. This tube is adj ustablysupported and may be secured as by means of a set screw 10.

A motor 11 is mounted on the'upper end.

of said tube and a shaft 12 extends from the motor downwardly through the tube and into a housing 13 secured to the lower end of the tube. This housing has a chamber with openings 14 and 15 therefrom and a pump, in the structure herein shown in the form of a blade 16 of helical form, is secured to the end of the shaft 12 in the chamber in the housing.

The removability of the base 7 enables the device to be placed in any position desired 370 withrespect to the tank,and theadjustability of the tube 9 enables the pump to be located near the bottom of the tank or at any point desired thereabove so'that agitation of the liquid may take place from any pointfrom its surface to the bottom thereof. Similarly by rotating the tube 9 to any desired position flow of liquid through the opening 15 may be directed horizontally to different portions of the tank. This flow of liquid caused by the pump may be inwardly through the opening 14 and outwardly through the opening 15, as illustrated by the arrows in Fig. l, and by employing a reversible motor the direction of this flow may be caused in opposite directions. In brief, my improved device enables a circulation of the liquid from any portion of the tank vertically, from different directions horizontally, as indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 3, and the flow may be directed from the pump laterally or vertically.

I claim ,1. An agitator for baths for treatment of metal including a tank, a pump located within the tank to circulate'fiuid therein, said pump including a chambered housing at its lower end having axial inlet and a lateral outlet, means independent of the tank for adjustably rotatably supporting said pump telescopically mounted upon ing through the whereby the lateral outlet at the bottom may be directed in different directions and means for removably attaching said supporting means to the tank.

2. An agitator for baths for treatment of metal including a tank, a pump located within the tank and including a chambered housing at its-lower end having angularly disposed openings therein, means independent of the tank for adjustably rotatably rotating the'pump on the upper edge of the tank whereby one of the openings in the chambered housing may be directed in a diflerent direction and means for locating the pump in difierent positions with respect to the supporting means.

3. An agitator for baths for treatment of metal including a tank, a'pump located within the tank, and having a chambered head the lower end thereof, and having an outlet directed toward the side walls of the tank, and an inlet means in said head communicating with the chamber therein,,means independent of the tank for adjustably rotatably supporting the pump on the upper edge of the tank, and means for changing the position of the pump rotatably and vertically within the tank.

4. An agitator for baths for treatment of metal including a tank, a pump located within the tank and including a tube and a housing forming a chamber telescopically mounted at the lower end of the tube with an openbottom of the chamber and another through the side thereof to its interior, and means for changing the position of the pump rotatably and vertically within the tank, said means including a bracket removably connected to the tank end having a portion within which the tube of the pump is a'djustably secured.

STANLEY P. ROCKWELL.- 

